aaah... the fun of wandering

a Mac has its perks, like razor sharp images on your screen. So whether you’re watching a movie or simply browsing through images, it’s an awesome experience.

Anyway, coming to what I originally have to say which is wanderlust and traveling. How many of us actually love and by love I mean LOVE to travel? Does your mouth water when you see the peaks of the Karakoram Range? Do you dream about swimming in the Pacific Ocean, or simply wade your feet in its water? If you do then continue reading.

Now iam not talking about expensive traveling where you only think of five star luxury and resorts that you spend all day in. absolutely not. Iam talking about hitch hiking, trekking and simply wandering on your own to discover new places. Infact two years back when I went to Thailand with my girlfriends, I tried to do this. All though everything was planned we did wander off on our own from time to time.

I prefer to travel to cultural, historical and natural places that boast beautiful landscapes. Malls, movies and shopping can come much later. Anyway, there is this beautiful place in Thailand called Chiangmai that most people don’t visit. It’s a hilly area with lots of exotic villages and textile factories. I remember going to a village near the elephant ride park and it reminded me of the Kalash valley(near Hunza, Glilgit). They wore such colourful and interesting costumes and were selling their gorgeous hats and similar looking bags that they had made. The women with their serious expressions due to the harsh terrain were willing to lower the price for us. I instantly bought it and even today people ask me where I got it from. This part of traveling I like most, picking up cultural evidences of the place. The bag eventually tore off but I still have the hat that hangs on my bookshelf.

Another beautiful treasure that I have is from my own country. It’s a beautiful handmade doll from a remote village in Punjab, three hours from Lahore. Three years ago, I went to that village to write my dissertation about them. That village has a story of its own that requires another blog entry. These dolls are so delicate and beautiful to look at and are a product of extreme care and hard work. The women are instructed to wash their hands every hour an hour to prevent dirt in the process. These dolls are extremely famous abroad and are definitely a collector’s item.

The interesting thing about traveling to exotic places is that you witness sites, objects and people you wouldn’t otherwise. And when you come back people cannot believe you went there. Beginning of this year I went to the famous Tharparkar desert of Pakistan with my students and the experience is worth sharing. I have mentioned the trip in an earlier blog so iam going to stick to only thing, which is the beautiful Jain temple, that we saw. Too bad those cameras weren’t allowed because of security reasons, as it was the border of India and Pakistan. But I never knew about this place until I actually saw it. Flashbacks of Art history lessons came through that reminded me about the formation, pillars and carving. The amazing thing about such places is that you forget about other things when you’re there. I was in total awe when I saw that temple and for a while I didn’t know who was with me and why.

I have a habit of making promises to myself that I don’t often keep. But inshallah I have promised myself that any chance that I get, whether it is here or abroad I will await it. Next on my most wanted to visit places is Hunza in Baltitstan. From there I want to continue towards the glaciers and finally reach K2 base camp. I have no intention of climbing that monster, just want to enjoy the epic peak.